A review of national health data found that adult anti-diabetes medications and beta-blockers in the home pose a significant risk of poisoning or causing significant injury to children.
Medical professionals reviewed cases of pediatric exposure to prescription drugs over a 10-year period. They found anti-diabetes medication and beta-blockers were the most common drugs taken orally that resulted in a visit to the Emergency Department, representing 60.3% and 59.6% of cases respectively. Researchers also noted the exposure to opioids resulted in a serious injury 26.3% of the time, while ingestion of hypoglycemics did so 19.5% of the time.
The data was analyzed in hopes of determining if there was a casual relationship between the rise in adult prescription drugs and pediatric poisonings. Over 70,000 children in the United States are hospitalized each year for suspected accidental poisoning.
To combat the rise in pediatric exposure, researchers placed children into three different groups to analyze the likelihood of consuming certain prescription drugs based on their age. The three groups included:
- Children between the ages of 0-5
- Children between the ages of 6-12
- Children between the ages of 13-19
For simplicity’s sake, researchers limited their data to Emergency Department visits that occurred from ingesting one of four common drug classes; opioids, beta-blockers, lipid-lowering medications, and oral-hypoglycemics.
Findings
During their 10-year study that analyzed data from 2000 to 2009, officials discovered there were:
- 62,416 cases of pediatric exposure to opioids
- 49,075 cases of pediatric exposure to beta-blockers
- 39,693 cases of pediatric exposure to lipid-lowering medications
- 38,485 cases of pediatric exposure to oral hypoglycemic
The study also found that all cases showed an increase in exposure likelihood as the child got older. For a children 5 years old or younger, ingestion rates of opioids increased each month by 0.09 per million, while teens between the ages of 13 and 19 saw a monthly increase of 0.04 per million.
When looking at the correlation between adult use and pediatric exposure, researchers noted that for every 1% increase in the number of adults with prescriptions for opioids, there was an increase of 1.53 poisonings per million children aged 5 and under, and a 0.74 per million increase in teens between the ages of 13 and 19. Similar results were seen when researchers examined a 1% increase in adult prescriptions of beta-blockers, lipid-lowering medications and hypoglycemics.
Despite the development of a child-safety lock and the recommendation that prescriptions be kept out of the reach of children, thousands of kids are rushed to the ER each year after an accidental exposure. Researchers said poisonings were most common in the first month after a prescription was given or renewed, so take precautions each time you bring home a full bottle of prescription pills.
Dr. Silverman comments
This unfortunate trend is alarming, but can we really be that surprised?
The rise in opioid use has made mood-altering drugs readily available. These drugs can depress respiration and kill. The obesity trend has created the rise in diabetic medications, meaning more drugs are in homes than ever before.
It only makes sense that the more children who have access to their parents’ drugs, the greater the likelihood for tragedy. Despite the actions of pill bottle makers, the kids are getting to them because the adults don’t stop them.
Children need to understand the medicine cabinet holds dangerous items. People need to treat all medication like they treat firearms, because they can be just as deadly.
Related source: MedPage Today
